Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

H erc answered despite the late hour, which didn't surprise me. I don't think he sleeps, sort of like the undead. I put the phone on the table and hit speaker, and Rose sat again, a questioning look on her face. Maggs went under the table and lay down, her head on my feet, the cone hard. She was smart, getting overhead cover.

"I'm back in Rocky Start," I said to Herc.

"Good. As word spreads that Oz and Pike survived, there are going to be people interested. Plus, you can check on?—"

I cut him off. "No. I'm not getting involved in your personal life. I will not help you get to your daughter. How much is it worth to you for me to stay here and see the rest of this mess through?"

Several seconds of silence played out.

"A standard recon contract," Herc finally said.

"That ship has sailed. This is looking like a direct-action mission."

"All right. Direct action."

"Backdate the contract," I said.

"What?"

"To when I started walking the Trail in Maine. You're the one who talked me into hitting the A.T. and then diverted me from my plan. You were planning on sending me here all along. I know you, Herc. You've got patience and you're always scheming. You just didn't plan on Oz dying right before I got here."

"I did you a favor getting you on the Trail."

He had a point there, but I wasn't going to let him score it. "Backdate it."

"Okay." The fact he didn't argue my guess meant it was right. The fact he'd "rescued" me from my dark cabin in Colorado and gotten me sobered up and then on the Trail faded in light of his ulterior motives. I glanced over at Rose sitting across from me.

"Plus per diem." I smiled at Rose, who raised her eyebrows in question.

"Per diem for where? The Appalachian Trail?" He chuckled.

"No. Someplace nice."

There were a few seconds of silence. "How about Des Moines?"

"I'm not in a laughing mood."

"New York?"

"Zurich."

"You're killing me here," Herc said.

"It's not like it's your money," I said.

"Don't push it," Herc said.

"Fine. I'll walk away. By the way, your ex and your kid might well be in the line of fire. This whole damn town might be. But you know more about that than I do."

Several seconds of silence played out.

"You're an asshole, Max."

"That's what you like about me."

A deep sigh floated out of the speaker. "All right."

"Another thing," I said. "New Jersey has a nineteen-year-old arrest warrant out for . . ." I looked at Rose. "What's your real name?"

Her eyes were wide. "Rosalie Malone."

". . . for Rosalie Malone. Fugitive from justice. Make that disappear. "

"Who the fuck is that?" Herc demanded. "Hey, am I on speakerphone? Who is there?"

"Rosalie Malone," I repeated. "The woman sitting right across from me. Who took care of Oz for eighteen years. She and her daughter, who is friends with your daughter, could end up dead with all these assholes showing up here. I don't want the law complicating things."

"I don't recognize the name," Herc said. "Was she in the game?"

"No. She's a civilian who got a bum rap. And before you say something you're going to regret, I am not sleeping with her. Consider this an operational necessity."

"Yeah, yeah," Herc said.

"And one final thing," I said.

"What?" Herc's voice was sharp. I'd managed to irritate him, which made me feel a bit better.

"Serena Stafford. Supposedly she had a liaison with Oz that produced a son. The name seems familiar. Why?"

Several seconds of silence. Which wasn't good. Finally, "I can't talk about that on an open line."

That was bullshit since the satellite phone was secure. He meant he couldn't talk about it with Rose sitting here. "There's a good chance Serena is here, Herc. With her son whom she claims is Oz's son. I'd like to know what I'm dealing with. A threat assessment."

Herc sighed loudly. "She was Pike and Oz's handler in Pakistan, sending them into Afghanistan on ops back in the day. So it's possible she did ten toes up, ten toes down with him. Who knows what goes on overseas on an op?"

"What happened to her?" I asked.

"After that mission went south and everyone thought Oz and Pike died when their plane went down, she got the blame."

"And?" I glanced across at Rose, who was avidly following the conversation.

"She was pissed. She read the handwriting on the wall and knew her future was shot in the Agency. So she left."

"And?" If Herc had covered for Oz and Pike, I knew there was a lot more to it than that .

"She set up her own, private contracting service. Very elite and exclusive."

Oh fuck, now I knew where I'd heard her name. It was like Oz being "The Wizard." It had been right in front of me. "The Cauldron."

"Yeah. And she's going to be real interested to learn Oz didn't die back then. And that Pike is still alive."

"She's here," I said, certain now it had been her in the armored SUV. "Do you have contact with her? So we can have a meeting and sort this clusterfuck out?"

"Nope. She's been dark for years. All I know is the results of her work. She's very, very selective in the jobs she takes on as curses. Top dollar only."

"So why does she give a shit about the money?" I asked.

"My guess? She was really pissed at Oz and Pike for double-crossing her with the Stinger money and the fake deaths."

"Thirty years ago," I pointed out. "You can't take revenge on a dead person." Something wasn't adding up. If it were revenge, Junior would have gone after Pike. He'd come into the store. Looking for something. "Herc, I don't?—"

"Hold on," he said. "I've got to go. I'll get back to you on the contract."

And he was gone.

I clicked off the phone and looked at Rose.

"I didn't understand half of that," she said. "What's a curse?"

"Serena being cute. A ‘curse' is when one of Serena's contractors from the Cauldron does a job."

"Like you?" She asked. "Or Ozzie?"

I shook my head. "No. We're players. We have a code. Her contractors are what we call ‘dogs,' which is disrespecting real dogs. Mercenaries. Working for the highest bidder. No loyalty except to the money. Serena Stafford is a legend, more a nightmare, a ghost in the world I lived in before I retired. Rarely spoken of. More of a myth than fact. Which is why I didn't pick up on it right away."

"So she's dangerous?" Rose asked.

"Very. "

"And she's not going to be happy Junior left here in a body bag."

"He was breathing, right?"

She nodded. "When he left. I don't know where Melissa took him."

"Most likely to Pike."

"Huh." Rose sat back. Thinking. "He's going to pay you to check out Rocky Start? How much is per diem for Zurich? Zurich is expensive, right?"

"It's government money," I said. "If he doesn't give it to me, he'll buy Boardwalk and Park Place with it. Zurich is the most expensive city in the world."

"And he really can take care of the warrant?"

"Yes. He has very good lawyers working for him."

"Like Lian was."

I nodded. "And he has dirt on a lot of people, which gives him a lot of leverage."

"Will he do it?"

"If he wants me to stay here, he will. He keeps his word. At least regarding contracts. It's the stuff he doesn't tell you that you have to worry about."

"So I'll be free." She seemed dazed.

"Of the threat of arrest, yes." I hesitated. "Well, arrest for fraud and being a fugitive. I have no idea what else you've been up to."

"Surviving." Rose sank back in her chair again. "My God, it doesn't seem possible. Thank you. Thank you. "

"Not a biggie."

"I am very grateful," Rose said.

"Good," I said. She was looking at me the way I imagined I'd looked at the lasagna yesterday. Which I was probably imagining. Projecting. "Okay, Rosalie. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, so?—"

"Why? I mean, besides Barry opening Ozzie's envelope, which will determine my fate."

"What?"

"Ozzie left an envelope to be opened tomorrow. If there's no will in it, Norman or Junior gets this place. "

"No." I had no idea what I was going to do about Norman and Junior, but they were definitely not kicking Rose and Poppy out of their home. "Tomorrow morning, we're going to search this entire place."

Rose frowned. " Why ? The money? You think it's here?"

"Maybe," I said. "But I have a feeling Serena is here for something else. She's not short on cash. And since Oz is dead, it's not revenge."

"What does she want, then?"

"I have no idea, but Junior has come in here twice. And you said he wanted you out of here."

"To search for the money?"

"For something. Who knows?"

Rose swallowed hard. "Okay, then. Okay. I'm really screwed, aren't I?"

"No," I said. "You have me. And your shotgun. Where is that now?"

She nodded to the shelf at the end of the kitchen again. I got up and checked it, making sure there was a round in each barrel, then gave it to her. Maggs went to the kitchen hallway door, waiting to go to bed.

"So I'm going to pack a shotgun wherever I go?" She lifted it, keeping it pointed toward the door and away from me, which I appreciated. "It's a little heavy for daily use."

It was dark outside. We hadn't finished dinner until almost ten, so it had to be close to midnight now.

Rose yawned.

"Go to bed, Rosalie. We'll fix this tomorrow." I headed toward the hallway door, and she followed after turning out the kitchen light. I opened the door, letting Maggs through, but paused, feeling her close behind. Because what I'd said to Herc about us not sleeping together was rattling around my brain. I wasn't planning on slipping out of here in the middle of the night again. And she'd had that look in her eye. I was here for the immediate future and beyond that, who knew?

I went into the hallway and turned around, and Rose bumped into me, the shotgun between us.

"Max? "

The only light was from the streetlight out in front of the shop, so I couldn't see her clearly, but for the first time I realized her eyes were almost level with mine. And just inches away. Her body was separated from me by only a few warm inches. And a shotgun.

"Rose?" I said.